An Ode to the “Pandemic Bae”
When the apocalypse was upon us.
When the future seemed bleak, when life and death became a coin toss.
We all chose a partner in whom we trusted our very life.
We didn’t know whether we were going into an explosive war or a protracted famine. Anything was possible.
But we chose to batten down the hatches with our ‘apocalypse twin;’ our partners who we believed could save us( and probably did.)
But when the pandemic was easing and Covid restrictions were lifted we collectively looked at our pandemic boo and seen their sad face, their haggard bodies, their shaggy hair and all we saw were memories we’d like to forget.
We saw a blotch on our life , marked by hopelessness, pain and if we are completely honest, a little boredom too.
In a different time you would marry your pandemic boo, you would be grateful that they saw your suffering, your ugliness your depression and accepted you — just as you are. They saw you at your most vulnerable moments and your pandemic boo was willing to go to hell with you ( and possibly die for you.)
But we returned to normal (or some permutation of normal) and the skills , resolve and patience that made your pandemic boo desirable during an emergency made them obsolete during a time of abundance.
You spurned them, resented them and more than likely replaced them with someone who would not have suffered with you, someone who would not have loved you in the darkest of hours.
Who will redeem the pandemic boo for their trust? Who will commend them for their loyalty? And most importantly who will give birth to the now aborted future where you two are finally together and happy?
How very, very sad.
An ode to pandemic bae.